Customer Reviews

PC Power and Cooling PPCS500D Silencer 500 Dell 12V 80+ Certified Power Supply

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

OK, so I'll be the first. I guess not many people take a lot of time to think about how much they like their new power supplies.

I have a DELL Dimension E520 MiniTower (circa Spring 2007) with Intel Core Duo E6400 (2.13GHz) and 2GB main mem. I was looking to upgrade my graphics card to a DX10 compliant GeForce card (upgrading from the current ATI Radeon x1300) and needed a PSU with a little more punch than Dell's stock 305 watter.

This one is a dream. Power connectors for every conceivable need, including 2 PCIe connectors in case you want to double up SLI-style (of course, there is only one PCIe slot on Dell's skimpy BTX style motherboard). It is actually a bit smaller than the Dell PSU, which is a good thing because I needed extra space to squeeze in the unused cables. I also had to snip away a tiny bit of the Dell case in back so the plug socket would clear the edge. It is amazingly quiet and provides unwavering power to 2 DVD drives, 2 hard drives and the CPU. Also runs very cool. I'm very pleased.

So you bought a Dell.... You saved some money when you purchased your computer and then you discovered that Dell also saved some money when they built your computer. One way they saved money was to use a lower-quality lower-capacity power supply and a non-standard motherboard. Now you want to upgrade your graphics card or add some more disk drives and the original power supply won't suffice. And you can't just put a regular ATX or eATX power supply into your Dell because it won't fit in your Dell case and it won't connect to your Dell motherboard.

That's where this product comes in. PC Power and Cooling makes some of the highest quality power supplies that money can buy. Their Silencer brand is well-respected by enthusiasts and well-reviewed across the web. And count your lucky stars that they make a version of their fantastic product that will work in your cheapo Dell! This is it, this is the highest-quality highest-capacity (500w) power supply that will fit in your Dell. And it runs cool and quiet and can power all the disk drives you can fit in your case and the latest greatest graphics cards. It even comes with four screws to attach the power supply in case Dell forgot to put all four screws in when they assembled your computer (as they did with mine).

Before buying this great Dell-compatible power supply, check the manufacturer's web site to make sure it is compatible with your Dell

http://www.pcpower.com/products/description/Silencer_500_Dell/index.html

I couldn't believe my luck when I found this product. I installed it in a Dimension 8400 with a high-end Nvidia GTX 260 graphics card; it is working flawlessly.

I love this power supply. Works perfectly with the Dell Vostro 200 and has power to spare. My only complaint is that the original one we received was DOA (dead on arrival) However, Amazon was was great and overnighted the replacement at their expense. Things happen and I dont blame either the manufacturer nor Amazon. If anything, the guy installing the PS called the company and was able to get technical support right away. After a couple of trying to fix it, tech support said it was dead and to exchange it. I always feel that a company should be rated based on their support and both the manufacturer and Amazon are class acts

Once in a while the system would just shut off and the power button would blink amber. I had to completely unplug the system and wait for the power button to stop blinking, then plug it back in and try and power it back up.
I read somewhere that it could be a number of things and one thing that was listed was the power supply.
I searched for an after market supply for the Dell Dimension 8400 and this was the only one with extra watts compared to the stock 375watt.
I put this unit on and it has more then enough extra plugs (almost too many). I have not experienced any more power problems and the extra watts have allowed me to upgrade the video card.
I don't notice any more sounds then before so I can not say if it is quieter.
I think it is a good unit if you are looking to upgrade or replace a faulty powere supply.

Bought this to replace the stock 375watt power supply that was undersized for a replacement graphics card in a 2 year old dell XPS 400.

Quiet, plenty of connections (more than needed for this machine) 1/2 inch gap along bottom of PS when installed in dell's case.

On a side note: Dell's XPS 400 is a BTX (instead of ATX) form factor. The power line to the hard drive was routed under the fan duct to the front of the case necessitating removal of the heatsink and fan in order to install the new supply. Attempting this requires cleaning off the old thermal grease and applying fresh; be sure to have some ready. If you've never done this, read up on it before attempting. Improper thermal grease (or none at all) will result in overheating and damage to the cpu.

I was looking for a PS as I am planing on upgrading my video card. Yes I know, that the Dell stock PS should work well with video cards in the NVIDIA 8800 class, but I feel better having 500 W of certified silent power.
The install was straight forward, if one takes their time and makes a good mental note as to where the wires plug in to.
I had mine installed in less than an hour.
Yes, the other reviewer was correct, there will be a gap of approx. 1/2 inch, after attaching the PSU to the case. The quiet operation makes up for it.
The workmanship on the unit is excellent and there are plenty of extra conectors for future upgrades.
So far, works very well with Dell. The 5 year warranty is also above average.
Very impressed so far; can't wait for the NVIDIA 8800 to come in, to see how it interacts with the PSU.
ADDED on 01/07/2009:
After almost 3 month and with the NVIDIA 8800 in place, performs excellent! The PS remains quiet and the performance of the PC, while running high end games ( CRYSIS, Far Cry 2, Hells Highway) is exceptional.
Great investment! No regrets!

I have an XPS420 that Dell says you dont need to update the power supply, the 425W should do just fine...well, let me tell you after installing this 500W power supply, they are wrong! I am a probably just a little above a novice when in comes to the internals of a computer but this took me about 10 minutes to install and with a picture of the cable plugins before I uninstalled the old power supply it was right the first time. This power supply just hums along, doing its job flawlessly. I used to encounter dropouts in games and have other issues that I could stick to other things but those problems have disappeared with this PC&C 500W power supply. Add on top of this that the price is right through Amazon and you have a no-brainer. If you want to really lower your frustration level with your Dell XPS, buy this now!

Dell 410 comes with a 375 Watt supply. Mine catastrophically failed, produced no output voltage for +/-5v +/-12. the PPCS 500D PowerPC supply works as advertised and is quieter than the Dell OEM P/S predecessor.

You'll need to purchase separately a 15 pin SATA extension for the XPS 410 hard drive locations; the drive connectors need to be L shaped to fit properly. I run 2-1T HDs.

the various outputs and connector types are plentiful, but can't be routed through the cable guides and strain relief. at the bottom of the Dell XPS enclosure. Cable exits on the 500D are different than on the stock Dell OEM p/s

the 500D P/S physical package is small for the original P/S cutout for the previous OEM supply, so a gap exists between the cutout for the original supply and the bottom of the new supply.

Dell OEM P/S includes 2 slotted covers which slide into the Dell PC case; the 500D doesn't include these slots. this can be worked around by simply tightening the 4 mounting screws and sealing up the remaining slot for proper PC case pressure.

the instructions are useful but not completely accurate, so look carefully at the cabling that you are replacing and draw a diagram ...first. PPC has consolidated multiple P/S packages into 1 with the 500D it mostly works well.

If such a thing could be called "beautiful", this power supply would be it!

When I bought my Dell XPS 420 computer over 3 years ago, I installed just about the highest end components I could at the time. A lot has changed in computer technology since then, but amazingly this PC can still keep up pretty well with the applications I use on it. So I was disappointed - and worried - when one day the quiet hum of this machine turned into a dull roar. I would describe it best as the sound a diesel truck engine makes...not what you want to hear from your PC!

If you bought this PC with the upgraded graphics card (which I did), then there are three fans inside the case: the CPU cooling fan (a big one!), the video card fan, and the power supply fan. I immediately suspected the CPU cooling fan, as it is by far the largest of the three (and - alarmingly - probably the most critical to the life of the PC). Thankfully, some investigation inside the case eventually revealed the true culprit: the 375W stock Dell power supply unit (PSU).

I have read numerous reviews of the Dell XPS 420 PC, and people say it is one of the quietest PC's they have ever owned. This was true for me as well...until the (arguably underpowered) PSU decided to throw its fan out of balance...and what an ugly sound that started to produce. Amazingly the PC ran fine for quite some time; and I could tell from the noise that the fan was still doing *something* anyway. But eventually it became too much to stand. On top of that, I recently upgraded the video card to a new GeForce GTS450 (3D capable) unit, which is REALLY marginal installed in a 375W PSU machine (Nvidia specifically recommends >400W; I only got away with it because I do not have 2 CD/DVD drives nor 2 hard drives in this PC, freeing up a bit of power). It's been a long time since I tinkered under the hood of a desktop PC (other than changing out RAM), but between the noise and the extra power the video card really wanted, I bit the bullet and bought this new 500W Silencer PSU from PC Power and Cooling via Amazon.

I could not be happier! The entire installation took me all of 45 minutes, and during that time I was eating lunch! Plus at least half that time was getting the old PSU out of the Dell (they sure did not skimp on wire routing, cable ties, etc.!). If you spend more time inside PC's and have no distractions, it's probably less than a 15 minute job.

The only problems I had, if you want to call them that:
1. The screw holes on the new PSU do not match the XPS 420 template. I ended up only using 2 of the original 4 screws to secure the PSU in place. But, because the new PSU is *significantly* lighter than the old one, I have zero concerns about how solidly it is installed; it will easily outlast the remaining life of this PC.

2. The new PSU has a LOT of cables! There were more than enough to reconnect to the XPS 420 (5 power cables required in total), and if you buy this PSU you will find yourself tucking extra cables and wire lengths in every nook and cranny. But I for one would rather have *this* "problem" than the opposite...and find I am missing a connection or cannot reach some component.

So, 45 minutes after starting, I buttoned the PC back up, plugged everything back in, and fired it up. Ah, the lovely and familiar quiet hum of my PC is back! The new PSU is exactly as advertised: *silent*. And the diesel truck engine noise is now gone, hopefully forever!

I was looking for a larger replacement power supply for my Dell Studio XPS 435MT. After looking around, this unit covered everything I needed plus if I want to add anything in the future. It fits where the original goes perfectly, but the cables are stiff and a little longer than I expected, probably more for a tower case. After a little manuvering with the extra and longer cables, I was able to get everything in place. Powered it up and it works great and really quiet.